Just Imagine

Where did the first story come from?
What histories were warped to make
The first creation of fiction?
When was 'imagination' invented?
 
I shall tell you.
 
The night was dark; the blackness was thick.
A parent and his two children hid in a hut as
Rain thick as the black hammered their
Home; their shelter.
The young ones looked towards the elder
For shelter against the thunderstorm.
He could not tell them histories; he could not
Tell them what they already knew.
 
So, the father started to think of a story anew.
He asks, 'What would have happened if my
Father had done this? What can be done to
Make the past more exciting than the
Present?'
 
An idea comes; yes, this will do.
 
The father starts his tale. He speaks of
Monsters that had haunted his dreams
As a boy; of creatures that hid in the
Shadows of his boyhood. Of how his own
Father fought with tooth and nail;
With sword and shield against the beasts.
The monsters were destroyed; no more do
They haunt the children of this world.
 
The son and daughter were delighted
By Grandfather's actions; they asked for
Another story about their deceased relatives.
And so their father started another, speaking
Of fire-breathing lizards and water monsters
From the depths of the sea.
 
Outside, the rains moved on.
 
The stories spread like wildfire; like news of
The latest, successful hunt.
Parts were changed, and new versions
Came into the light; new ideas were added.
Children grew and stayed as tellers of tales;
As spreaders of stories.
New monsters were found;
New heroes came from caves;
Fighters were found in hidden places.
Everything was covered, but the stories
Did not stop.
 
A great network of storytellers erupted;
Overnight, these people surfaced.
They survived the change of times
In different forms; as other peoples,
Races, children.
They hide among us today.
 
Creating stories with just a thought. 

Comments

Scribe-Nexus

I got the idea for this when I had been speaking with my dad about the origins of imagination (I had been working on a writing project in the car at the time). The idea wouldn't leave me alone, so I decided to work it into words.

My favorite part of this specific poem is that it shows what I think happened to jump-start some of the more crazy oral traditions that got us such cool stories today. The children turning into their own network of stories really shows how much of a gossipy group kids can be.

Seriously, though, how else are stories spread? Kids hear things, mix them up a little, and they come out entirely different than what they had been before.

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